Brand follows up price leak with admission it’s for the 64kWh Essence, not a less capable budget version.

MEDIA given an early indication on pricing for MG’s next electric car have been wrong-footed in their presumption about which version was in the spotlight.

Speculation that the share, from the brand itself but described as being from a “source close to MG” when it was subsequently published, about the subject being the brand’s entry model with a 51kWh battery has proven wrong.

A follow-up official announcement from MG today makes this clear.

That release says the car with the $54,990 price tag – which can drop to $46,365 with the fattest Clean Car discount factored in - is, in fact, the 64kWh Essence model, with a much better range and higher specification provision.

Adding a further twist, the marque has clammed up about whether the 51kWh model is even in their sales strategy for NZ, a spokesman simply saying: “This (today’s press release) is all we are announcing at this stage.”

MG says the 64kWh car can be ordered from April 11.

The reports last weekend about the car being set to cost $54,990 in the 51kWh format was not well received by electric vehicle enthusiasts, who were immediately sharing displeasure on social media, with some expressing the China-based marque could have done better.

They pointed out the smaller battery car for that money would be retailing $2000 above where it sat in its biggest right-hand-drive market, the United Kingdom, after receiving the $8625 Clean Car discount.

Disappointment the all-new model, the first on a brand-new platform for MG, will not undercut the brand’s existing electric car, the ZS EV, NZ’s cheapest for more than two years, as it does in the UK, still might stand.

The ZS entry level Excite model is priced at $49,990 drive away, while the upscale Essence model is offered at $53,990 drive away. Both qualify for the $8625 Clean Car Discount.

The 64kWh model is capable of 435km on a charge, 85km more than the entry car. The battery is also capable of charging up to 135kW, meaning a charge time of only 60 minutes to 80 percent using a 50kW DC rapid charger.

The Essence edition has a high loading of technology, including the MG Pilot advanced driver assistance system. This includes blind spot detection, lane change assist and rear cross traffic alert.

The model also has automatic LED headlights and rear lights, rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, automatic climate control and MG iSmart app connectivity. A 360-degree camera, wireless phone charging and iSmart connectivity compatible with the app are all standard in the Essence.

This version runs 18 inch wheels and has a two-tone roof and twin aero rear spoiler.

MG4 is the first MG built on a new bespoke electric Modular Scalable Platform (MSP), which will be used as the basis for a whole future line-up of EVs ranging from hatchbacks to medium sports utilities provisioned by Shanghai Automotive (SAIC), the parent of the MG brand.

MG says MG 4 is a generational step up from the underpinning and driveware used by ZS EV and has even been designed to potentially allow for battery swap technology on future models.

MG 4 is an international market descriptive. In China the car is known as the MG Mulan, in honour of the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan. That name is used in China because four is considered an unlucky number.